The Sun. — London, England, 1864-12-28 00:00:00

HEALTH OP LONDON. (From the Registrar-General's Report.) The deaths in London, which had declined to 1449 in the week that ended Saturday, the 17th inst., again rose last week to 1523. The average number of deaths in the 51st week of ten years (1854.63) is, with a correction for increase of popu lation, 1390. The present return exhibits an ex, cess over the estimated number of 133. The deaths from typhus were 84, and they were more numerous than those from any other zymotic disease. 18 were returned by the Registrar of Islington West, in whose subQdistrict the London Fever Hospital is situated. Three deaths from the same disease occurred in the Kensington Town sub. district, 3 in Chelsea North-west, 4 in Mile-end Old' , town East. Scarlatina was recorded in 60 cases, 8 of which were in Islington, 3 in Chelsea North-west sub district, 3 in Holton New Town, 3 in Mile-end Old-town East, 4 in Greenwich and Woolwich. The deaths from measles were 57, of which 4 occurred in the Kensington Town sub-district, 4 in Paddington, 3 in Islington West, 5 in Stepney. It is very remarkable that bronchitis and pneu monia exhibited directly opposite tendencies in the week ; for while the mortality from the former in. creased, that from the latter decreased in an extra ordinary degree. In the last three weeks the deaths from bronchitis were successively 200, 189, and 223 ; those from pneumonia were 97, 123, and 68. While the deaths from bronchitis were last week above the average, the deaths from pneumonia were much below it. Five nonagenarians died in the week. Two women had arrived at the age of 94 years, and a man at 96. Last week the births of 947 boys and 900 girls, in all 1,847 children, were registered in London. In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1854.63 the average number (corrected) was 1,858. At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean height of the barometer in the week was 29.9571 n. The mean daily reading was above 30in. on the last three days. The reading fell to 29.66 in. on Sunday and Tuesday, and it rose to 30.42 in. on Saturday. The mean temperature of the air in the week was 34.5 deg., which is 4 deg. below the average of the same week in 43 years (as determined by Mr Glaisher). The mean daily temperature was below the average on five days, and on Sunday the defect was 10 . 4 deg. The lowest night temperature was 17.3 deg. on Sunday. The highest day temperature was 46.7 deg. on Tuesday. The range of tempera. tare was therefore 29.4 deg. The mean daily range was 9.2 deg. On Friday the range was only 3.6 deg. The difference between the mean dew point temperature and air-temperature was 4.8 deg. The mean degree of humidity of the air was 82, COM. plete saturation being represented by 100. The wind blew from the south.east on the first three days, and on the last three from the north-east. Snow fell thickly on the morning of Sunday. On four nights the thermometer fell below freezing point. The mean of the highest temperatures of the water of the Thames was 42.1 deg.; that of the I lowest was 38.3 deg. 2. The deaths in Vienna, as returned by Dr Glatter, were 373 in the week ending Dec. 17, when the mean temperature was 28.6 deg., that :at Green- wich having been 37.3 deg. The Holborn Union, An inquiry was held last evening at St. Barth°. lomew's Hospital, by Mr Payne, respecting the death of Timothy Daly, aged 28. Mr Lewis, jan., was present on behalf of the widow of the deceased ; Mr James represented the guardians of the Holborn Union ; and Mr Humph reys watched the case on the part of a Poor Pro. tection Society. Dr James Andrews, assistant physician at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, said that on Thursday morning the deceased was brought to that instita. tion suffering from large bed sores. He was so prostrate that nothing could be done for him but to give him food and stimulants. He died at half-past 11 o'clock the -next morning. The post mortem ex amination showed that there was inflammation of the pericardium of some weeks' standing, and re cent inflammation of the right pleura and lung. The sense of death was exhanstibn, produced by the sores, With proper care and attention the de ceased ought not to have got into such a condition, even though suffering from rheumatic fever. A water-bed and spring mattress ought to have been employed. Poultices should not be kept on for a fortnight, nor even for half that time. Thomas Spillem, 10, Bishop's Head-court, Hole born, said that deceased was a railway labourer. Last Tuesday seven weeks he fell ill, and was re moved during the ensuing week to the Holborn In. firmary. Witness visited him there every Sunday. He said that he bad no attention. On Wednesday week he came out and went to No. 2, Union-court. He said that if he had remained in another night he should have died. A week later he was taken to the hospital. He was a strong man when he went into the workhouse. He was sft 9iin in height and he had got a bed not 6ft long. He used to lie with his knees bent up. He complained that his poultices were not changed. He said to witness, "If I could get out to the gate I would leave myself." It was on the third Sunday he told witness of the sores. Mary Fitzgerald, 2, Union-court, proved that she was sent for by the deceased, who begged of her to take him out of the infirmary and get him into a hospital. She took him half a quartern of wine, and in consequence the master would not allow her to visit him again. When he came out he was pro perly attended to in her house for a week. Dr Thompson Lowe, resident medical officer of the Ferringdon Dispensary, 15, Bartlett's-buildings, said that he was called to the deceased at 2, Union court. He was much emaciated, and his knees were drawn up and contracted. He would have been permanently crippled if he had lived. He was suffering from rheumatism affecting the great joints of the body. There were two large sores denuding the big bones of flesh for three inches. He com plained that he had been put in a bed only fit for a lad to lie on. He said that his poultices had not been changed, and that no charcoal had been used. The sores were very much inflamed, and the stench was dreadful. He was a strong, powerful man, of muscular frame. His death arose from bed sores. He would have had no bed sores if he had been under witness's care. In reply to Mr James, the witness said it was not only prudent, it was necessary to remove the man from the Holborn Infirmary when he was so treated in it. The witness had got rid in 48 hours of the horrible smell by proper antiseptic appliance. The witness had 2,000 cased a year, and they never had a bed sore. In rheumatic fever a man could be kept in bed 12 years without sores. Mr James said that perhaps the witness sent all his bad cases to the hospitals, to which the witness replied, " Thank God, I never had such a case in my life." Mr John Norton, surgeon to the Holborn Union Workhouse, said that he first saw the deceased on October 30, when he came into the house. He was emaciated and dirty, and had not been properly at. tended to. He was suffering from acute rheumatism. He got bed s ores w h en he was four weeks in the house. Poultices of linseed meal and beer grounds were ap plied 3 times a day. His bed was 6ft long and 2ft 7in wide. He was verrlow, and sometimes delirious. His hands, knees, and joints saffered from rheuma tism. He never complained about his bed. used. Disin- Milk, wine, b ee f t ea , an d fecting fluid was ' porter were given to h im. He expressed no wish to leave the workhouse. He was 45 days in the house, and in that time he got 10 pints of wine and 40 of porter, 2 pints of milk every day, arrowroot whenever he could eat it, and mutton for dinner. There was a card at the head of the bed, o n which the dietary, S.7c , was written by the master of the workhouse, Mr. Francis. The master used to sign witness's name to the card. The witness had given him no authority to do so, but he knew it WEIS done. The entries in the medical book were copied by the master from the card, but witness initialed it. There was no necessity for witness to make the entries himself. Any clerk might do it for him. The deceased died from exhaustion from rheumatic fever while in a typhoid state. There was a complication of bad diseases. It was highly dangerous to remove him from the house. William Lewis, wardaman, gave sim;lt r evi. deuce, as did also the deputy assistant surgeon of the workhouse. Mrs. Daly, a domestic servant, a • d the visited deceased in the workhouse. He comp' ..ned of want of attention. Witness spoke to the master, who said he had all the attention possible. The young man Lewis appeared to be attentive. When the deceased was removed he said„" All the kindness I have got is from the master. The poultice has never been changed. The doctor has passed by but never looked at me." Witness had thanked the master for the kindness which deceased had received in the house. Two nurses deposed that they had seen the doctor examine the deceased's sores at least three times a week, and also that deceased ;was inattentive to cleanliness, &c. Mr, W. Francis, master of the workhouse, gave evidence similar to that of Mr. Norton. He said that deceased's linen was changed whenever re. quired, and that he and the chaplain had requested the wife not to remove the deceased. The Coroner 'said that, in his opinion, a case of manslaughter bad not been made out against the workhouse surgeon. It was in evidence that the widow of the deceased had expressed her thanks for the treatment he had received. The jury, after three-quarters of an hour's de liberation, returned the following special verdict : —" We find that deceased died from exhaustion from bed sores, and from rheumatic fever ; and we find that while he was in the infirmary of the Holborn Union he did not receive sufficient care and attention from the medical officer." fHE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 28, 1864. articles, upon whomsoever they might be found, would prove awkward pieces of evidence. Hale and Baker were both born at Coseley, within a few doors of each other. The former had always been idle and dissolute, and when under the influence of drink very quarrelsome, and used to indulge in violent threats. Scareely anyone can be found who will speak well of him. He was once in custody charged with incendiarism, in having fired some ricks of a dairyman at Coseley. The evidence was insufficient to justify the magis trates in sending him for trial, and he was discharged. But the offence with which, before this - murder, Hale's- name was most associated was that of cruelty to his wife, the de ceased mother of Eliza Sillitoe, which resulted in his com mittal to Stafford assizes on a charge of manslaughter. For that offence he was committed on the coroner's warrant on May 7, 1863. The evidence produced at the inquest and on the trial showed that the woman had frequently gone to neighbours complaining that she had been starved, not having, she said, tasted food for three days. She was then likely to become a mother. The time of birth arrived, and no provision had been made for the event. There was very little food in the house, and when Hale was reminded that there was no oatmeal he said that he had a bad finger, and had nothing to buy food. She was placed on a straw mattress for a bed, and a horsecloth and quilt covered her. She was delivered by the mother of the culprit Baker, and the child, which for a week could not be nourished by the mother, had to be during its few remaining days fed by the hands of sympathising neighbours. To these the mother was indebted for nursing and occasional food during her illness. The witnesses all spoke to her constant complaints during her illness that she was suffering from want of food, &c. These complaints were carried to her husband, who made the same reply as before about his inability to find her feod. Twelve days after its birth the child died. On the day following, at about 11 in the morning, a neighbour went upstairs, and the words of the deposition before the coroner were as follows :—" I found the deceased lying on the bed with her body doubled up, and her hand hanging over one side of the bed, quite dead. The body appeared stiff, and had upon it only an old sheet and quilt. The body consisted of only bones and akin," The evidence of the surgeon who made the post mortem examination was that the woman had died from exposure to cold, want of proper attendance, and the ordinary necessaries of life. The parti cular evidence, however, showed that the midwife had not skilfully completed her work, and the assize jury giving the prisoner the benefit of a doubt which was raised as to the effect of this unskilfulness, he was acquitted. Of Brough and his offence the tale may soon be told. A collier, only 24 years of age, suffering from that wasting disease, diabetes, he had been unable to work for three months, when on July 7 he went to the house of his father at Audley at night to sleep. The father, a widower, was living unmarried with a widow, who herself had a family. The young man was reproached for being unemployed. A dispute between him and his father ensued, and the cul prit left the house. Walker was an old man over 70 years of age, and lived in a hut on the edge of a farm of which he was at one time a tenant. This place seemed to offer a shelter for Brough. What took place there we give in the words of the culprit's confession, made soon after his arrest, and subsequently to pawning the watch of the murdered man. Brough in the call said,--" I went to the old man's hut to ask him to let me sleep there. He opened the door, but refused to let me in. I then picked up a piece of iron which was lying near the hut, and struck him a blow on the head with it. I could not tell if he fell down; it was dark, about 12 o'clock. The old man began to make a noise, and I struck him again. I then struck a match, took the watch, and went away, leaving the old man on the ground. Is he dead ? Poor fellow I I did not intend to kill him." The woman Baker who was condemned with Hale will not know her fate for some four or five months, by which time she will have become a mother, and " her Majesty's pleasure" will then have been made known. Frightful Murder in Saffron-Hill, Sarafini Polioni, a ferocious-looking Italian, about 33 years of age, was placed at the bar of the Clerkenwell Police court yesterday, before Mr Knox (who is sitting for Mr Barker), charged with the wilful murder of Michael Har rington, by cutting him with a knife,. He was also charged with feloniously cutting and wounding Alfred Rebbick and George Bannister. Mr T. Wakeling appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Inspector Potter, who has charge of the case, was present to watch the proceedings on the part of the police. Mr Gue, rine attended as interpreter. Mr Wakeling said the prisoner was an Italian, and lived close to the Golden Anchor publichouse, Great Saffron-hill. He had grossly insulted the landlord, and was turned out of house some time before: On Monday night a lot of Italians got up a disturbance in the house. The prisoner rushed up stairs, knocked a woman down and stabbed the deceased. He had previously stabbed two others, one of whom, it was stated, was at the point of death. The deceased made a statement at the hospital, as well as the other unfortunate man. These statements he proposed to submit in evidence. They were as follows : Dec. 26, 1861. My name is Michael Harrington; I was at Golden An chor pnblichouse, Great Saffron-hill, about 7 o'clock this evening. I was stabbed in the belly. The man with a mous tache is the man that did it. God forgive him. I mean the man now present. I am on my dying bed. God forgive him I will not sign. witnesses, { THOMAS A. POTTER, Inspector, RICHARD FAWELL, P.P. 425 A. St Bartholomew's Hospital. My name is Alfred Rebbick. I reside at 59, Great Saffron-hill. I am a potman. lam 22 years of age. About 7 o'clock this evening there was a disturbance at the Golden Anchor, Great Saffron-hill. I went into the room to try to quell it. An Italian was in the room. That man stabbed me. I immediately struck him with a stick. I afterwards gave that man into custody of Police-constable 425 A, Fawell. This statement is true. I know lam dying. The.man who stabbed me is now present. That is the man. (Signed) ALFRED REBBICE., X (his mark). Witnesses THOMAS A, POTTER Inspector. { RICHARD FAWELL, 425 A, Royal Free Hospital, Dec. 26, 1864. It was thought the stab whioh killed the deceased was intended for the landlord of the house. The following evidence was then taken, which was inter preted to the prisoner : Frederick Shaw—•l am landlord of the Golden Anchor, Saffron-hill. I saw the prisoner last evening. He came about half-past five. He was talking to my wife. He came with five or six other Italians. He said he could settle me, he could settle any six Englishmen like me. I did not speak to hiro. He then left. They did not all leave. He had been drinking. He returned in 20 minutes. I did not see him return. The other Italian struck me. Soon after there was a row in the room. I went out for a constable. The constable came, and the next thing I saw was the prisoner being taken out by the police. Constable Fawell, 425 A, went into the bagatelle room. I was pushed into the bar parlour by some of the customers, as the Italians threatened me. I then saw the prisoner taken out. I afterwards saw the deceased Harrington at the foot of the stairs leading to the bagatelle room. He was not able to speak, and his bowels were all protruding, I got him into the bar parlour, I raised his shirt, and found he had got a severe cut, He was then taken to the hospital. Maria King—l am the wice of William King, 58, Leather lane. He is a bone button manufacturer. I was with my husband at the Golden Anchor on Monday night last, I knew the deceased, he was in the roorr..—the bagatelle room. He was in the room with my husband and several others. They were not playing. The English people were taking re freshments by themselves. I saw the prisoner. I was going out of the bar to go home. It might be from six to half past, and the prisoner met me at the door of the bar and struck me full in the face with his fist, and knocked me backwards. There was then a rush into the bagatelle-room. I was knocked down. Mr Knox—You were knocked down, and the rush corn. pleted it ? W Ur ess—Yes. Mr Knox—How long did you stop on the ground ? Witness—l do not know. By Mr Wakeling—l was stunned. I saw the constable go into the room and bring out the prisoner. I did not see the man that was struck. Richard Mellowship, 42, Coldbath-square—l am a button maker. On Monday night I was at the Golden Anchor, kept by Mr Shaw, Saffron-hill. I was in the bagatelle room between six and seven. I knew the deceased. He was there, and stood by the side of me. The prisoner rushed inta the room first, with several behind him ; all Italians. I saw the prisoner strike the deceased in the stomach, and the deceased fell to the ground. Ho was not picked up in a moment. He had been stabbed, and his bowels cut out. I did not see anything in his hands. I mean the prisoner. My wife said, !‘ Oh come away; you will be murdered." I then saw the blood. She was near enough to the deceased to have got the blood from him. It was on her shawl. By Mr Knox—l went out of the house, but I was obliged to run in again, as the house was surrounded by Italians shouting "Garibaldi for ever." When the rush came the deceased had just finished singing a song, and the prisoner, without having a word with him, struck the deceased, and he fell. John Liddle—l live at 10, South-square, Gray's Inn road. I am a French polisher. I was at the Golden Anchor, Great Saffron-hill, about six or seven when this disturbance took place. I knew the deceased, Harrington. He sat next to me. I sang the first song, and he sang the last. It was in the bagatelle-room. There were some twelve or fourteen in the room. There were no Italians in the room. The deceased called upon me for a song. I then gave "The Ship's Carpenter." The deceased sang a song just after it. The prisoner came in. I saw him strike Mrs King. He met her at the door and struck her, It knocked her down. Then he rushed in and struck the deceased, who had just risen from the first seat near the fireplace. He struck him on the stomach. The deceased fell on the floor. Deceased had not said a word before he was struck by the prisoner. Two constables came, who took prisoner into custody. Several other Italians followed into the room. I myself struck the prisoner with a stick. The deceased said, " I am stabbed," when he fell from the effect of the blow, whereupon I struck prisoner with a stick. Another man struck him, and he fell, and we held him till the police came. Mr IV. King, 28, Leather-lane—I am the husband of Maria King. I was at the Golden Anchor on Monday about 6or 7. I was in the bagatelle room. There was a company of us there. I saw the prisoner there. I did not see him strike my wife. I picked her up. I went out, and I found that somebody had struck my wife. Harrington, the de ceased, was there. I saw the prisoner come into the room. I was knocked down in a struggle. I was knocked down behind the door. Mr Knox—Did you, or did you not see the prisoner and the others come into the room ? Witness—Yes. When I got up I saw the prisoner on the top of Harrington. I laid hold of him, and held him till he was given in charge. I did not see any blood,. Mr Knox—Were there any words passed before this took place ? Witness—No. Richard Fawell, 425 A—On Monday night between G and 7, I was passing down Saffron-hill, by the Golden Anchor, when my attention was called by Mr Shaw to a disturbance in the house. I went in, and I there saw the prisoner and several others in the taproom breaking up one of the seats. I went out and called Police-constable 157 G. We went in, and in going into the bagatelle-room 1 saw Alfred Rebbick f o ll ow i ng t h e prisoner. Rebbick said, " That man has stabbed me." We went into the room and found the prisoner in custody of Mr King. Harrington was lyin g in a corner, and 1 was told that he had been stabbed. I said I would take the prisoner into custody for assaulting Rebbick. He beeame very violent. I told him that he was charges i with stabbing R e bbi c k. H e answered me some thing n Italian, which Ido not understand. The prisoner was conveyed to the police station. Afterwards I took him to St. Bartholomew's Hospital. I saw Harrington under the hands of the surgeon. He was the same man who was pointed out to ma as Michael Harrington in the bagatelle room. Mr Knox—Did you tell him in the bagatelle room that you took him in charge for the assault upon Rebbick Witness—No, I told him in the street. Ho became very violent. William Abott, 137 G—On Monday night there was a disturbance at the Golden Anchor, Saffron Hill. I went in, and found the prisoner in the custody of King. Faithful, 158 G—On Monday I was called to the Golden Anchor. I saw Michael Harrington, whom I knew. It was about half-past six or seven. He was lying in the bar par lour insensible. I lifted up his shirt and saw his bowels protruding. I got a cab, took him to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and delivered him to Mr Peerless, the surgeon. I produce the trousers worn by the deceased, which I took off his body—the mark or cut there corresponds with the wound on deceased's body. Sergeant Baldock, 1 G—On Monday night, at about a quarter to 8, the prisoner was brought to the Clerkenwell police court, by Constables Fawell and Elliott. He was charged with stabbing a man. I told him I should detain him at the station until I ascertained that the man was dead, and if dead he would be charged with murder. I asked him if he understood English. He answered "Yes." I then examined his hands. His right hand was covered with blood. There was an old knife upon him, and it ap peared not to have been opened for some time. I pointed out blood on his hands, and he said "I only protected my self." I afterwards told him he was charged with the wilful murder of Michael Harrington, by stabbing him in the belly with a knife, and also assaulting and cutting two other persons. He said, "I never use knives." Inspector Thomas Potter, G division, said—ln conse quence of information received from last witness I conveyed the prisoner in a cab to,St Bartholomew's Hospital, accom panied by Sergeant Baldock and other constables. I found the man recognised by the officers as Harrington in bed. In consequence of what the doctor told me I said to Harring ton," Will you listen to met" He went off in a dose. I then said, " Can you hear what I am saying?" He said " Yes." I said, " The doctor who is now present says you have but a short time to live, and I want you to answer a few questions." He then said, "If I am to die God have mercy on me." He repeated that several times. I then asked him to look at several men near the bed. He said, " Oh, let me die quiet." I then said, "Where are you hurt ?'' He said, "In the belly; for God's sake untie my belly," I again asked him to look round the bed to see if he knew anyone. He then looked round, and pointing to the prisoner said, " That's the man who done it; him with the black moustache, I hope God will forgive him.' I then said, "Will you take this pen and sign this statement ?" He said, "No, God bless him." Mr Knox—Did the prisoner make any statement to this ? Witness—l showed the prisoner a note I had taken. He said I don't understand English. Mr John Peerless—On Monday, about seven, the de ceased was brought to the hospital by 153 G. tie was in a state of great collapse, produced by shock and loss of blood. I examined him. I saw four feet of intestines protruding from a wound near the naval. There were four wounds in the intestines. There had been a great deal of bleeding. I closed the wounds in the intestines and returned them. About nine o'clock the inspector came. At that time the deceased was conscious. I told him he was dying. He would not believe it. At last I convinced him of it. I asked him if he had got any statement to make. He said, "If I must die God forgive me." I asked if he could point out the man who wounded him. He replied to the effect that he did not wish to hang him, and hoped God would forgive him, as he did. He afterwards pointed out the pri soner as the man who had done it. He refused to sign the paper tendered by the inspector. The prisoner was then removed. Mr Knox—When did the deceased die ? Witness—About half-past 3. I have no hesitation in saying that death was caused by the wound in the bowels. Mr Knox (to Inspector.Potter)—Tad the deceased any children ? Mr Potter—He leaves a widow and five children totally unprovided for. He was about 38 years of age, and web a costermonger. Mr Knox—Something must be done for her. Before I leave the court I will give directions about her. In all pro bability the prisoner will have to be brought here on an. other charge. I will therefore remand him. The prisoner was then removed. Mr Knox directed f 5 from the poor-box to be placed in Mr Potter's hands for the use of the deceased's family. In order to prevent the recurrence of stabbing outrages on Saffron-hill, Mr Potter has placed extra men in that district. Execution at Stafford. Yesterday Richard Hale, aged 30, who was condemned with his paramour Cicilia Baker, also aged 30, at the Staf ford Winter Assizes for the murder of Eliza Sillitoe, aged between 5 and 6 years, at Coseley, in South Staffordshire, was hanged in front of the Stafford county gaol; and with him suffered Charles Brough, aged 24, a miner, who, at the same assizes, was condemned for the murder of Geo. Walker at Bignall-hill, North Staffordshire. The spectators numbered about 6,000, many fewer than at the last execution, when a young man named Brandrick was executed for the murder of a tradesman at Bilaton. Some of the crowd took up their places during the night, but most of the people began to assemble at 6 o'clock ) es. terday morning. At hal-past seven the procession was formed at Hale's cell, and moved to a room adjoining the hospital, into which room Brcugh, who has been an invalid from the time of his arrest, had just before been removed from the sick ward. In the presence of Major Thorneycroft, the High Sheriff of the county—Major Pafford, the governor of the gaol— the Rev. Mr Vincent, the chaplain—the Rev. Mr Eastman, the assistant-chaplain, and others, both men were pinioned by the hangman, a shoemaker of Dudley, named Smith, and the procession moved to the foot of the gallows, the culprits repeating the usual Litany. Arrived at the point named, the chaplain, addressing Hale, said, " In a few moments you will have to stand in the presence of Almighty God. I adjure you, I implore you, not to lie with a lie upon your lips, but to tell the truth. Are you guilty of the murder of Eliza Sillitoe ?" Hale—l am quite innocent. The Chaplain—When did you last see her alive ? Hale—At half-past 12 on the previous night. The Chaplain—And you say you are innocent ? Hale--I am. The Chaplain—So help you God ? Hale—So help me God I The Chaplain—May the Lord have mercy on your soul Hale—Amen. In reply to a further question put to him by another per son in the procession as to his ;guilt or innocence, Hale said, " This is the place to test me. I am innocent." The scaffold was then ascended, and Hale and Brough soon ceased to exist on this earth. On Saturday last Hale requested to be allowed to see the woman Baker. The application was complied with, but the interview did not last many minutes. Before it had termi nated Baker said that she was innocent, and she besought Hale, if he were guilty, to confess it. Hale denied that he was guilty. On Monday he was visited by his rela tives, who urged him to confess his guilt if he had com mitted the crime, Hale resolutely re-asserted his inno• cence in this matter, and added the following im precation, " I hope my soul may go and burn in hell if what I say is not the truth 1" Ever since his conviction his chief source of grief has seemed to be that he could not make the people about him believe his protestations of innocence. To Mr Vincent, the chaplain, by whom ho was interrogated at the last, Hale had previously said, "It grieves me very much to think you will not believe me innocent." He had been very attentive to the religious instructions of the chap • lain all through his confinement. Brough seemed unmoved by his position,his only anxiety being to satisfy the craving of his disease by frequent eating. The offence for which Hale has suffered is fresh in the recollection of our readers. With Cecilia Baker, ha was condemned for the murder of his own child, named Eliza Sillitoe, the daughter before marriage of the unhappy woman, whose melancholy death through the neglect of Hale :s mentioned below. On the 20th of July last Hale and Baker were seen by a barber of Coseley with a child in a cornfield. A portion of the wheat was trod down, and Hale and his paramour sat down. She had the child, and, throwing her towards Hale, turned her own face away. The child got away from her father, but he fetched her back and threw her down. He then knelt down himself, but whether or not on the child the witness could not tell. Hale then drew a handkerchief from his pocket; the child shrieked, her voice became choked, and her cries seemed to die away. These facts were not reads known until some time after the 2d August,when a workman passing through the field with his dog, through the sagacity of the animal, the child's decomposed body, lying with a hat by her side, and her boots, with the socks tucked into them, by her feet, in the standing corn,at a spot up to which, but not beyond it, a pathway had been made by the corn being trodden, Nine days after the murder Hale and Baker were seen together at that part of the cornfield where the body was lying. A quantity of blood was found on the child's clothes, especially near the neck, and a hand.. kerchief, which had also been saturated with blood, and then crushed together in the hand,was found some distance away from the standing corn. This handkerchief was round the child's neck when she was last seen alive,and the analyst who examined the handkerchief for blood found a short cut in one corr, er, and a portion of a single hair on the edge of the cut. Hale was shown to have behaved cruelly to the child ;. he said his love for it had left him, and that if it were not for that (meaning the child) he could leave this country. It does not seem easy to account for the plan of murder adopted by Hale and Baker. There is, however, room to conclude that it was suggested to them in the fact that some three or four years ago a brother of Hale was out with a dog, and the animal discovered the decomposed body of a child in the very field in which the witness Jones first saw Hale and Baker leading the child they were then about to murder. The child that Hale's brother found was never identified ; indeed, little remained that could be identified, the legs alone of the corpse remaining entire. And yet, if Hale and Baker had desired that such a termination might follow their offence, one might have expected them to re move the child's hat and boots. This difficulty, however. was met by the learned Judge before whom the culprits were tried, who, in sending the case to the jury, and in re marking upon this feature of the case, observed that such M. Mocquard's Successor. The Emperor's new secretary, according to the Times' correspondent, is N. Conti, a lawyer and a Corsican. He is a relation of the Baciotes family, and the Baciotes are rela tions of the Bonapartes. In popular belief the Corsicans are all cousins more or less removed. M. Conti, though a member of the Council of State, is not I believe generally known to the public, though at one time he enjoyed considerable renown in his native island. As the post he is to occupy near the Emperor's person will proba bly give him much influence, which may be felt in political affairs, it will not be out of place to say a few words about his antecedents, and of the opportunities he will have of using his position for the public good. It is by no means derogatory to M, Conti that he cannot, anymore than any body else, completely fill up the void caused by the death of M. Mocquard. M. Mocquard's connexion with the Empe• ror's family began several years before it attained thesposi tion it now holds. Ho had been initiated in its policy from the day when he ceased to be a fu❑ctionary of the Orleans Government, and probably some time before ; and when he retired from his sub-prefecture, and gave up his practice as an advocate, he laboured diligently to promote the cause which it had so much at heart, and which he Eyed to see prosperous; and the position he ob tained was the reward of services which no other party had required from him. M. Conti's talents were long directed to another object, and he enters upon duties which may now be discharged without danger. Like the great founder of the Napoleonian Dynasty, M Conti was born at Ajaccio. In some respects there is are semblance between him and his predecess,or, as he was bred to the bar, and has written a good deal of "poetry," both in French and Italian, and which competent judges pro. nounce as not inferior to that of M. Belmontel, the Bona partist poet par excellence. He was elected under the Orleans Government, member of the Council-General of Cor sica, and in the discussions of that renowned body distin guished himself by the persistence and vigour of his attacks on the prefect of the island, M. Jourdan, whom he held up to the indignation of mankind as a "modern Verres." The Cicero of Ajaccio was in those times an avowed Republican of the school of the National, and the National did all it could to celebrate his triumphs over the "odious Pro-Con sul" sent by Louis Philippe to trample upon the liberties of the free-born Corsicans. The unfortunate prefect, scorched by the lightning of M. Conti's eloquence, appealed to the Council of State ; and the Council of State, which was it self but the instrument of the tyranny which the Corsican patriot laboured to overthrow, found that he was not quite the monster he was described. The deluded prefect even fancied that he was entitled rather to the thanks of the Department he administered than to its censure. At a meeting of the Council-General, at which he, in his official capacity, presided, he was addressed by the implacable enemy of oppression, and of electoral cor ruption, in terms such as I suspect no member of a Council-General of the present day would ven ture to employ, and which leads one to suspect that the tyranny so denounced must have been of a peculiarly in dulgent kind indeed, for it does not appear that M. Conti was sent to Cayenne, or to prison, or, what is still more incomprehensible, that he was prevented from speaking again as often as he pleased. It would be curious to hear a modern councillor address a prefect in language like the following The prefect pronounces for our edification the name of Turgot after his own. For our honour ho demands our praise ; and submits for our examination his past system of administration. You do well, Sir (to the prefect who pre sided), to shrug your shoulders, for you have a heavy load to support. Persons have advised you to withdraw from this assembly , I would rather have you remain. My explana tions will be more frank while you are present. I have de nounced you for ruining the country, for having squandered more than a million, and I now reproach you for having everywhere introduced electorial corruption, for having in serted your hand in every b Allot-box, for having stirred up only bad passions, from which crimes have ensued. You have been present in person on every electoral battle field— on horseback, in carriages, and in steamboats. You have trafficked in votes, and you have suborned electors. I have seen your letters, I know your menaces, and I know, too, your promises. You tell us, forsooth, how you build presby teries and schools. Yes, but you sap morals, and dem dish our principles. You make roads; yes, but you make them only that they may serve as an easy means of cornmunicat inglyour.corruption. You build fountains; but there are still many consciences to purify. On the stones of your buildings you leave, with your names, the traces of your corruption and your intrigues, You beautify Corsica ma terially, but you demolish it morally, and the ruins of our morals remain for ever ? " When the prefects of the present day learn the nomina tion of this formidable s3ourge of corruption is elections — for of course he still retains his opinions in these mattters —they will pause before they again attempt, in their own language, to " insert their hands in the ballot-box ; suborn lectors," or employ intimidation; and the great autocrat of Paris, M. Haussmaa, may fear to brave the anger of the Emperor's secretary, who thinks that opening streets, building houses, and spending millions without regard to the wishes of the populalon, do not make up :or the absence of other qualities. After his campaign against the Prefect of Corsica, M. Conti came to Paris, where he diligently laboured with his countryman, the late NI. Pietri, for the triumph of pure Republican principles, When the tyranny he so much hated was overthrown tv the catastrophe of February, the Provisional Governmant marked its sense of his services to the cause by appointing him Procureun.General in Corsica; and the Corsicans elected him one of their representatives to the National Assembly, He voted in the Assembly with the democratic party. He voted, too, for the perpetual banish ment of the Orleans family; against the proposition in favour of two Chambers instead of one ; against martial law during the debates on the Constitution ; against the re establishment of caution money for newspapers; for the constitution of the Republic; but he refused to vote for the motion that General Cavaignac deserved well of his coun try for . putting down the insurrection of June. After the election of Prince Louis Il'apoleon to the Presidency of the Republic, M. Conti, though he may have still cherished in his heart the same democratic principles, yet ostensibly mo dified them a little- He supported what was called the per sonal policy of the Prince President ; voted with the oppo• nents of the Republic for the revision of the Constitution as proposed by M. Rateau, for putting down the clubs, and for the French expedition to Rome. His electors did not seem to approve M, Conti in his process of ripening into a Conservative. He was not elected to the Legislative As. sembly ; but he still supported out of doors the policy of the President. Just six weeks before the coup d'etat he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour ; and soon after that event a member of the Council of State. He still holds his place in the Council-General of Corsica, but has, I be lieve, long ceased to war against the prefects—no doubt because the prefects do not, as in times gone by, "insert their hands in the ballot-box, suborn voters, corrupt or in timidate electors," or indeed, do any of those things which used to call forth his eloquent indignation. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD, AND LIN- COLNSHIRE. The total expense of this company's railways, including rents, tolls, duty, &c., from the Ist of July to the 18th of December, 1864, amounted to £190,311, as againbt £191,152 for the correspond ing period of 1863. The proportion of the South Junction receipts accruing to this company from the Ist of July to the ISth of December amounted ted £17,851, as against £16,502 for the correspond. ing period of 1863, and the expense to £9,283, as against £8,151. NORTH BRITISH AND EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW. These companies intend to ask for powers to con struct a high level railway bridge across the Firth of Forth, and railways in connection therewith. The bridge will be above two miles in length, and the railways eight miles, the estimated cost being £675,000. The share capital is to be provided by the two companies in certain proportions, the North British Railway Company are to subscribe 60.8 per cent., and the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Company 39.2 per cent. of it ; and in the event of the Monkland Railway being leased to or the corn• pany amalgamated with the Edinburgh and Glas gow Railway Company during the ensuing Ses sion, the contribution of the North British is to be 56.3 per cent., and of the Edinburgh and Glasgow 43.7 per cent. CALLANDER AND OBAN. It is proposed to obtain Parliamentary powers in the next session to make a railway from the Dun• blane, Doune, and Callander Railway, near Callan. der to the town of Oban, Argyllshire, and a tram way to the harbour. The proposed share capital is £600,000, of which the Scottish Central Railway are to contribute £200,000. The latter company have also entered into a provisional agreement with the promoters of the Callander and Oban Railway for the management and maintenance of the railway wben completed, and for the working of the traffic. SCINDE, The traffic on this line has improved considerably. The returns in the two weeks previous to the de parture of the mail amounted to £2,341 and £2,375 respectively on 105 miles against £1,733 and £1,612 on the samo mileage in the corresponding weeks of 1863. PUNJAB. It appears that the Lieut. Governor recently went over a great portion of this company's line from Lahore towards Mooltan, and expressed much satis faction at the progress made with the works. Every effort wee then being made with a view to complete the railway throughout before the end of the year. Death from Starvation, A very painful inquiry was held by Mr. John Humphreys, Middlesex coroner, last evening, at the Duke of York Tavern, King's-road, Homerton, respecting the death of Mary Hale, aged 64. The jury having been sworn proceeded to view the body of the deceased, which lay in the room she had occupied. Upon entering the small back room at the top of a respectable-looking house (No. 16, King's-terrace, King's•road) they found it destitute of furniture, but more than ankle deep with ashes, and a heap of old rags and newspapers which had formed her bed. Martha Harrison said she was a lodger in the house where deceased lived. The deceased had lodged there 18 months, and about tour years in the next house, She had been a servant, and had earned her own living for 40 years. She was a single woman. The witness was out at work daily, and therefore she did not know much about the deceased; but she believed that she used to go out charing for a fe w halfpence when she could get it to do. She was not employed more than two or three days in the week, and she could not have got 6d. a day at most. When she was out the witness believed she got something to eat, but could not say if she hid anything when at home. She was very reserved, and she used to keep her outside clothes very clean and neat. She was thinly and poorly eiad. She had no clothes fit for the weather. The witness saw her last on Wednesday ; on Friday she was missed, and her room entered. She was dead on the floor. There was no bed but rags and all manner of things—old papers, &c., in the corner. An old broken chair and a table were there, but no other furniture of any kind. Her sister was comfortably of; she was stewardess on board the Queen's yacht, and she paid the deceased's rent. Mary Ann. Wright, an other lodger in the same house, said that she could not say if the deceased had anything to eat at home. She sometimes said to witness, "I should like a few sprats." Witness, if she got any, would put a few on a plate and leave them outside deceased's door. The deceased would come Jut and take them, and go in and lock herself in again. Mr. William Har bin, 1, King's.read, said he believed what he gave the deceased was her principal support. She used to come and clean the place for a few hours on Sa• turdays, and he gave her ls. and her food, She was very honest. His wife used to give her gowns, but she latterly became so badly dressed that he could not let her come to his house, and he told his wife to pay her without coming. Twelve months ego he applied to the parish for her, and she was allowed two weeks' relief ; they then wanted her to enter the house, and as she refused she got no more. In con sequence of an allegation that was made the follow. ing letters found upon deceased were produced by the police, and read by the Coroner to the jury—" Royal Yacht, Cowes, July 20.—My dear Sister, I hope these few lines will find you well, as I am happy to say they leave me, thank God. I have been going to write so many times, and then I have to go away. The Queen is going to Scotland again this week. 1 have been to Antwerp with the Princess Alice, and the let of September we shall have to take the Queen over to Antwerp ; she will be away six weeks, then I shall be home to Pimlico. Eliza and the three children, and all of them, are quite well. I have a few old things of mine that you may find useful if I could send them. I hope you will nut make yourself unhappy about Mr Seeley's rent. I shall be home and let him have it when I get it— they keep us so long without it. I shall be in Lon don on Wednesday. God bless you. I remain your affectionate sister, E. Belbin.'t The Coroner said the next letter was dated Nov. 30, and was as follows—" I have got a few old things I will send you, but they are not, 1 assure you, worth much. I wrote to Anne after I received your letter, and asked her if she had any to let me:have them, and if so I will send to you this week. I will put the money to pay the carriage in the parcel inside, and I will send by the Parcels Delivery. As soon as I get some money I will send to Mr Seeley. The Queen will spend Christmas at Osborne, and then I shall have only to cross to Cowes on board the Fairy. I shall be happy to hear from you when• ever you like to write." Dr F. Daly said that he was called in and found the deceased dead on the floor. The room was the most miserable that he was ever in. A teapot and two broken plates on the floor could not have been used for years, for they were encrusted with earth. There were two old bones, but there was nothing on them, and there was a bit of old ir d hard crust. The de. ceased's dress was quite thin and filthy ; he had to cut the rags off her body to examine it. She was dreadfully emaciated. There was a com plete absence of fat in the body. The stomach was empty, and the small intestines were empty and clntracted, as in cases of death from starvation. The blood was very thin. There was no organic disease. Death arose from cold and starvation. The Coroner said there did not seem to be any ground for blaming the sister of the deceased; she had paid the rent; and even if she were written to by Mr Harbin, she might not easily have believed that deceased was really in such frightful circum stances. The jury returned a verdict " That de ceased was found dead in a certain room from the mortal effects of cold and starvation." SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES,—Some six months have elapsed since we first introduced to the public a subject of obscure but ominous import. To wards the close of last May a brief telegram from India announced that a British Eavoy, who had arrived at the capital of Bhootan on a conciliatory mission from the Government of Calcutta, had been treated with flagrant indignity in open Court, and had actually been compelled to purchase the safe return of the mission by ceding to the offenders the rich province of Assam. We ex plained at the time, as far as explanation was pox- Bible, the nature of the adventure thus reported, but we regret to say that things have since gone from bad to worse, and we are now actually at war, if 60 dignifying a term can be used, with the Govern ment of Bhootan, and that an expeditionary force is on its march over the route which a peaceful mis sion had the greatest difficulty in traversing. It must have been a most unfortunate complication;of circumstances which could have drawn us into these extremities, and imposed upon us the obliga tion of so unpromising :a campaign. Any map of India will show the reader a slip of territory at the foot of the Western Himalayas distinguished by the name of Bhootan. It lies directly north of Lower Bengal, and is conterminous with our province of Assam. Its distance from Calcutta is inconsiderable, but the country is so impracticable, its inhabitants are so savage, and the whole region is so wild and desolate, that the State is virtually out of reach. Once or twice, in the earliest days of our Indian rule, some interchange of courtesies passed between the British Government and the Court of Bhootan, but for nearly a century these barbarous people have been left undisturbed and unnoticed in their seclusion. Sir John Lawrence, in his recent procla mation on the subject, can refer to nothing later than the treaty of 1774 as delineating our relations with the Bhootanese, and the renewal of these trans actions has proved a very deplorable occurrence. However, about a year ago a Mission, or Em bassy, was once more despatched from Calcutta to Bhootan under the direction of an eminent civil servant, Mr Ashley Eden, From the first intelligence of this transaction we were induced to think it a voluntary expedition, under taken with the forlorn hope of opening up new channels of trade. It now seems that this was not exactly the case, and that the Government of Bhootan had so repeatedly given cause of offence as to provoke remonstrance and admonition. The mis sion, however, was in the main conciliatory. It con sisted only of four Europeans, with 200 collies in attendance on them, and it could not, as far as its composition and appearance went, have inspired any suspicion or alarm. Still, we are now told on authority, that Mr. Eden was charged with other proposals besides the mere overtures of trade. He was instructed " to demand the surrender of all cap tives, the restoration of plundered property, and security for the future peace of the frontier." Rs quisitions so likely to be unacceptable enable us bete ter to understand the events which followed. The Government of Bhootan received the message with barbarian insolence, grossly maltreated the Envoy and his suite, and finally extorted from him as the price of safety, the cession of a British province. Of course so absurd an engagement was instantly repudiated, but the insult itself was then taken up, and the result, in default of satisfaction, is the ex pedition or war which is now beginning to figure in our Indian intelligence. When or how it will end is a question which it would be very difficult to answer. The military strength of Bhootan, mea mired by population or resources of any kind, is absolutely contemptible. The people possess the martial obstinacy of savages, but if they were fairly accessible to our forces they could be coerced and subdued as easily as any of the Hill Tribes of Cen tral India. What protects them is their country. At the foot of the Himalayas lies a belt of jungle so unhealthy that the very natives avoid it, and when this pestilential tract has been traversed a most wild and impracticable region opens upon the view. The mountain passes and defiles, the precis pices, snow-drifts, the frost and the cold, are said to exceed anything known in Affghanistan. The narrative of Mr. Eden's mission reads like some unusually desperate enterprise of Alpine travellers, and a route scarcely practicable for scientific ex• plorera has now to be traversed by a military force, with its munitions and impediments. The object of the expedition is distinctly defined. The army will march into the Bhootan country, but it will not attempt to penetrate to the capital. It will content itself with occupying the "passes" between the highlands of Bhootan and British territory, and will thus confine the turbulent savages to their own country. The districts seized will be permanently annexed to the Queen's dominions, so that the Bhootanese will be punished by loss of territory, while the measure will suffice at the same time to protect us from their incursions for the future. This, if the expedition. were to be undertaken at all, is probably the best shape that could be given to it; but we have not got to those passes yet, and when we do get there we shall be exposed to new liabilities, at least as serious as those which we ex pect to terminate. Already, though the worst of the march was yet to come, the unhealthiness of the country had made itself felt, and the enemies in front were savages who, if they made no stand in the field, would have no scruple in resorting to the devices of barbarous warfare. They may allow us to occay the passes, but they can still descend upon cur garrisons at any minute, and we may have to hold a worthless conquest at heavy charge against fever and fatigue. We think it most unfortunate that we should have been hurried, or driven, or seduced into an enterprise threatening so much cost and promising so little gain. We can not affect to doubt, in one sense, the justice of the war. We can readily understand that the Bhoo tanese have really committed the offences laid to their charge—that they have plundered our subs jects, or even carried them away into slavery—that they have persisted in their misdoings and have refused redress. It is also beyend question that the indignities inflicted on the British Envoy would amply justify the exaction of atonement if we thought fit to make the demand. But we can hardly persuade ourselves that the Government of India • was compelled to take this notice of the insult. On the wisdom and prudence of Sir John Lawrence we may place entire reliance, and it is, perhaps, only reasonable to suppose that a resolution adopted by so experienced a statesman could not be escaped. We should remember, too, that our territories on the border of Bhootan have recently acquired new importance. Assam is the country in which the cul tivation of the tea plant is now so successfully con ducted, and it is rapidly becoming the seat of a most extensive and productive industry. We cane n ot permit a horde of savages to interfere with these promising operations, and it is possible therefore that disturbances which might have been over looked in Cans past may call peremptorily for no.. tice now. It is not improbable, indeed, that consie derations of this kind may lie beneath the motives more vaguely expressed in the proclamation of the war, but those who are best acquainted with Indian history will be the first to regret this discovery of a new enemy on a frontier hitherto disregarded. POST.—The Postmaster-General's Report for 1863 is, upon the whole, highly satisfactory ; and if at first sight one is disposed to demur to the late ness of the publication, a closer examination of its contents shows that the compilation of such a mass of statistics must necessarily be a work of time. These figures, too, though they relate to a period which, at the rate we now think and move, has already become historical, possess a peculiar and perennial interest. Ten or 20 years hence it may be that the present grand totals, which at present would be incredible if they were not officially vouched, will cease to be marvellous. The progress they record may then be dwarfed into insignificance by comparison, but they will still indicate the solid foundation of the national prosperity. To-day, howe ever, and to men who have just turned the corner of middle age, there are matters in this statement for very serious consideration, and, so far, its appearance at a season when people are more than ordinarily inclined to look back before they look forward is opportune. The PostmastereGeneral of course de scribes the requirements his department has had tc meet, and they have been met and carried out, with businesselike accuracy,only here and there distinctly alluding to the obvious inferences ; but the story he tells in a dry and prosaic form is one that, ex • tended by the imagination it is calculated to inspire, and amplified by the thought it awakens, might be told round the Christmas fire, and which ought to enter largely into our New Year's meditations. Daring the year reported upon no less than 62,800 inhabited houses were added to the metropolitan postal district ' and while 161,000,000 of letters were delivered in that district, 642,000,000 were by delivered throughout the United Kingdom—and this an expenditure of £3,000,000 sterling—the receipts of the Post-office being £4,000,000 starling. Such is the rough, round summary of an account that is remarkable from every point of view. There are other features which are not so pleasing, as, for example, there were 2,000 applicationsgor missing letters containing money, in coin, or in postige stamps; still, for this the public is primarily b ns wer - able, inasmuch as by the payment of the redaced registration fee practical security in the transmit. sion :of m oney l etters could b e o b tained. It is, however, close under the surface of those facts that the ore may be found which will best repay the trouble of a careful analysis, There may be seen, even at a cursory glance, what this country is; what it is capable of, and at what rate of speed it is ad vancing. There may be traced from cause to effect i the springs of our commercial greatness, the n• dustry which is the source of our wealth, the force of character which distinguishes us among the na tions of the world, the perseverance which com mends success, the enterprise that, combining dis cretion with daring, is without parallel, and the ambition which, being great in itself, achieves greatness. The millions of lettere representim mense wealth, the desire to increase that wealth. , and the never ceasing ene rg y ill which is employed its accumulation. It mu s t b e reco ll ec t e d, too, that the Post-office is anticipated by the Electric Tele graph, and that, to get an adequate idea of the sub• ject, this report of the number of letters transmitted should be supplemented by a return of the telegrams that were flashed along the wires during the same period. But there is here more than sufficient evidence of a prosperous and prospering condition, and the people who have such a correspondece in hand may be fairly assumed to be able, intelligent, free, well governed, and equal to all that men should aspire to. One does not require to go very deep to arrive at the conclusion that th e mercan til e p os ition 1 . 3 sound and strongly fortified, th a t it s o p u l e nce le real and substantial, and that its vast pecuniary resources are admirably administered. We turn our money over, put it out at interest, and, while the capital increases, live comfortably upon the dividends. All this is plain enough, though we can not see it in everyday observation as we do through an array of figures which bring out the aggregate in columns that may be readily cast up and appre. [tended. Bat this is not all. No one who bestows much thought on the postal statistics can fail to perceive that, beyond the commercial prosperity they explain, there are questions suggested by them which also claim some attention, Many thousands of the letters which pass through the Post-office every year speak of other things than the price of stocks and the rate of exchange. If their contents could be known they would supply material for reflection on the social relations, the morality of the people, the emotions which powerfully influence a community, the affections which hold society together. There is, then, a great deal more than pounds, shillings, and pence to be read between the lines of the PostmastereGeneral's Report. Letters of friendship and of love, and begging letters and letters of charity, as well as business letters, find their way into the postman's bag; and they would show another side of the picture of national life varying very much in its shades of light and dark. Now unfolding the secrets of pure and loving hearts, now disclosing sentia ments that arrive .it their denouement in the scandals of the Divorce Court, and now por traying the wretchedness of poverty, the tempta• tions to sin, and the vices which grow up rank in a hundred guilt gardens, these letters would point out forcibly that the nation which seeks after true riches must not be content with gold alone. More over, though the Post-office returns are commonly supposed to indicate the progress of education, it is by no means certain that they are in this re spect a safe guide. The educated classes have availed themselves of the reduction of the postage to a very great extent, but it is exceedingly doubts ful if the uneducated, those of them who are able to write, use the privilege further than they can help. It is good that the poorest can afford to pay for a letter, yet practically the poor have neither the leisure for correspondence nor friends to corre spond with. Nevertheless, making every reserves tion, there is abundant reason to rejoice at the result of the postal reform which has been accomplished, and to believe that it affords, in the main, a reliable index of the condition of the country. If, however, it proves one thing more incontrovertibly than an other it is the rapid increase of wealth ; and while riches, within the limits defined by honesty, honour, and prudence, render a country powerful with its allies and formidable to its enemies ; if, oa the other hand, they are abused, or made the be-all and the end-all of a people's existence, material prosperity commonly tends to produce moral infirmity, and the wealth which should be a blessing becomes a curse. . COUNTRY MARKETS. ROCHESTER-TUESDAY. There was a fair attendance at our market to-day, con sidering the season of the year, and the stands wore very well supplied with samples, the dry weather having much improved the condition of the wheat. The prices of last week were current. Barley in rather better demand, and at late prices. Beans and peas were firm. NE W CASTLE-TUESDAY. Arrivals in foreign wheat large, but from the coast were limited. There has been a limited business doing both in English and foreign wheat, which maintained former rates. Flour only sells in retail. Barley and oats unaltered. MARKET lIARBOROUGII—TUESDAY. White wheat, 418 to 455; red, 3Ss to 423 per 3G stone. Malting barley at 31s to 33s per qr. ; grinding, 27s to 29a per 30 at. Oats, old, 26s to 283; new, 23s to 25s per 30 at. ; beans, 36s to 42s per qr. LEEDS--TUESDAY. The arrivals of English grain at our market this week were not large. The demand for wheat to-day was steady, and last Tuesday's prices were advanced is per qr for red. Oats and beans as of late. Averages—Dec. 19—Wheat 39s lid per qr. —Oats - - —Beans 37s Hid - -- —Peas ..—s Od - —ltve —s —Barley 3's 71d Foreign Mail Packet List. - MAILS DUE. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton....... Jan. IS. via Marseilles• .. Jan. 12. Brazil and Cape Verde, by British packet . Jan. 5. Uape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena.. Dec. 29. China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton. Jan. via Marseilles ...Dec. 27. Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampt. u Deo. 27. India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton Jan. 2. via Marseilles Dec, 27. India (Bombay), via Southampton Dec. 27• - - via Marseilles Dec. —• Portugal.... Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Dec. 27. via Marseilles Dec. ---, Newfoundland Oporto and Vigo U. S. and Britieh N. America, by Brit. packet.... Dec 29. _ . . by U.S. packet by Canadian packet Dec. 30 W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe Jan. 10. West Indies and Pacific .... . ..Dec. 2 9 . Bahamas (via New York) Bermuda (ditto) Cuba and Mexico ..Dec. 29. THACKERAY'S MOTHER.—Mrs. Carmichael Smyth (the mother of the late Mr. Thackeray) recently deceased, married, first of all, Richmond Thackeray, the great humorist's father, who died at Calcutta in 1815, when his son, William Makepeace, was just four years old. Mr Theodore Taylor, in speaking of the youthful Thackeray , remarks that " the son, after remaining in India for some time with his widowed mother, finally. bade adieu for eveer to that country, and was brought to England in 1817. 1.1115 mother, who had married M a jor C arm i c h ae l S m yth, still survives, a lady of more than 80 years of age, whose vigor: ous health and cheerful spirits a re p rover bi a l i n h er son 'e family." Since the decease of her son, however, Mrs Smyth has not enjoyed her former robust health. His lose is said to have been a blow from which her failing age would not allow her to recover. She had been complaining all the summer, and as the winter cold came on it was plain to her family that her strength was rapidly leaving her. [ADVERTISEMENT.] - Holloway's Pills. Dyspepsia' Hysterics.—These distressir g maladies often defied the best devised means to allevate them till Holloway's pr ing and corrective pills were discovered. They have hitherto proved themselves equal to cope with the worst cases by re vivifying the blood. Those admirable pills at once remove the palpitation of the heart and sickness at the stomach , frequently so oppressive to the dyspeptic and nervous. They operate on the liv e r, s ti mu l a t e t h e kid ne y s , a nd establis h regular action through the bowels. This medicine all e 1 nervous irritation, spasmodic p a ins, and violent men emotions ; in fact, they reinstate or d er a nd regularity whi ch are departing or have surrendered to disease; they resto!:e . nervous power to any debilitated part, and overcome all e e straction to perfect action. Births. Of DAY.—On Christmas-Eve, at Hampstead, the 'w if e Estcourt Day, Esq., late Captain 26th Cameronians, co son. ',RA • HANBURY.—On Christmas-Eve, at 21, Portman-squall/I Mrs. George Hanbury, of a son. OXENFORD.—On Christmas-Eve, the wife of John Oxen ford, Esq., of a daughter. Marriages. ARMSTEAD—LITTLEWOOD.—On the 223 inst., at Isling t°ll parish church, John G. Armstead, of Hadley, l ier 7 to Annie Maria, deughter of the late W. S. Littleviao of Doncaster. WARDELL—BAILIN —On the 22d inst. , Jersey, William Henry Ward e ll, Es . Captain 8.A., ill 1 , to Emily Mary, the third daughter of Joshua Le 13a Y Esq., of Les Vaux. at St. Saviourirr BETHELL.— ColdharbOU7latnhe: Deaths. Bethell, Esq., aged 93. , a 18°,11 2 j s o t h h n in ß s a t rna t rd ß: Esq. e , a a r g ll ed u 7 ll 6 , . Richarcl BARNARD.—On the 25th inst., at 3, Brunswiek-creseent, EDWARDS.—On Christmas-Day; Nathaniel Forester Ed wards, sq., aged 6 9 . HuollEs.— E On the 2Gth inst., at 10, Uppe r Harley-street, Mrs. Hughes, aged 82. ____.--...-.---_-"--'-''-- London : Priraed and Prblished Dy WILLIAAIANDIarNS_ of No. 112, St r and, Printer, at THE SUN Ofßee No. viz i Strand, in the FreeillOt of thy, Savoy. ,n the CGtintY 01 411"OgeZ.—WetillefidAYI X'CgelliDer 28, 18"